Kids are getting wrong message about suicide

Deputy Chief says First Nations communities like his need to change their approach

Moose Cree First Nation Deputy Chief Charlie Cheechoo brings struggling youth into the bush to teach them how to survive on the land the way their ancestors did. The experience is often a transformative one for the youth who attend. (Jody Porter/CBC)

External Links

(Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external links.)

The Deputy Chief of the Moose Cree First Nation says his community needs to change the way it thinks about suicide.

The First Nation, located near Moose Factory on the James Bay coast, is dealing with three more suicides in the past month.

In the past, the community hung the hockey sweaters of youth who committed suicide in the local arena — a practice that Charlie Cheechoo said can send the wrong message to youth.

"I have different views ... I don't want to force my views on other people ... but that's darn near promoting [suicide]," he said.

"One minister told me, 'You know what your problem is in Moose Factory? Everybody is going to heaven.' And the kids want to go there a little quicker than anybody else. Life ain't so great in Moose Factory, for the kids."

Cheechoo runs a year-round program to try and help youth with drug and alcohol problems.

Project George takes young people out into the bush to camp and experience traditional activities to help them reconnect with the land and feel better about themselves and their abilities.